Greetings Blog
Bahamas Day 2 Sunday April 19th Cruise Day
Port Canaveral holds the title of the busiest cruise port in the world—yes, the entire world. It’s wild to think that the globe’s top cruise hub sits right beside one of the largest rocket launch sites and space centers on Earth, all surrounded by some of Florida’s most impressive wildlife.
Our hotel overlooks the Banana River Lagoon, a perfect spot for watching pelicans, ospreys, seagulls, and all kinds of coastal birds. If we’re lucky, we might even spot a manatee. These gentle “sea cows” can stretch up to 10 feet long and weigh around 1,000 pounds. They’re known for being calm, slow-moving, and curious creatures, even though they’re technically herbivores—not carnivores I would prefer any encounter to be from dry land rather than while out swimming.
This morning we felt the sonic boom from Jeff Bezo’s, the Amazon guy, launching his reusable rocket booster to help lower the cost of accessing space. I can’t help wondering when that same innovation might get my packages to the front porch a little faster.
Our boarding time is not until 2:00 but we hop on the early shuttle to the MSC Seashore. It’s not that far from our hotel but seems like we were dodging traffic, deciphering a street maze. This is our first MSC cruise, and we’re excited. We went all‑in and booked the Yacht Club, which is basically a ship hiding inside another ship—complete with its own bar, restaurant, hot tubs, and sun decks. It’s like cruising VIP style.
As Yacht Club guests we get escorted on board first. Checking in was an interesting experience, the crew seemed like they had a plan, but as a guest I was not convinced. We were given a glass of champagne that helped smooth the process. Once at our cabin we unpacked then headed off to lunch, or “launch,” which might be the better word because we are fully prepared to blast straight into vacation mode.
After we wander around the ship. I was already familiar with the ship, because like with all our trips, I spend a lot of time researching the ship and our destinations. Planning ahead is part of the fun of traveling—it’s part of the vacation itself. There’s something enjoyable about having something to look forward to and the trip becomes the reward for all that preparation.
We’re absolutely thrilled to be staying in the Yacht Club cabins — especially because Yacht Club guests get their own private elevators. We can zip down to Deck 4 or up to Deck 20 without ever having to squeeze in with the crowds from the rest of the ship. It feels like real luxury. At least on this trip, we won’t be crammed into an overloaded elevator with fifteen people, including adults eating hot dogs with relish dripping onto the floor. (Yes… that really happened on our last cruise.)
The ship is supposed to sail away from the port at 4 p.m. so, we join fellow Yacht Club guests on the private pool deck in the Top Sail Lounge for a relaxed sail‑away celebration but we’re not moving. There is supposed to be music drifting in the background while we take in the scenery: stretches of beach, glimpses of wildlife, NASA landmarks, and crowds waving from the shore, but nothing was happening. It seems the ship has a problem with refueling, but who doesn’t these days. After two long hours we slowly glide away from the port… and like everybody else we forget the sail away party, its dinnertime.
After dinner we attended the Divas show, a tribute style revue of famous legendary female performers. It was high energy show and would have been really good if the lady behind me wasn’t singing along with every tune... but then again who doesn’t want to be a diva these days.
Tomorrow we will be in Nassau.
